This is the last of the multi-posts today. I'm honestly going to try to remember to upload the next chapter within the week but with school and work and homework it just slips my mind.
Plus I feel I have to admit that with NCIS on break (I'd love to hear what you all thought of the season finale!) I found a new obsession-Doctor Who. I know, it sounds nerdy but it actually isn't. I started with the 2005 reboot and it is a phenomenal show. Any other Whovians out there?...Anyone? Bueller?
This is the beginning of a very bumpy ride. If anyone has seen the video, you all know what's coming up. If you haven't seen it yet I'm going to ask you not to watch it and tell me what you think, if you don't mind :) I'd like someone's perspective who hasn't seen the video. And this is the longest author's note I'll post for this story.
Enjoy!
Ziva stared at the e-mail before glancing at Tony. He was re-reading the memo calling his and Gibbs' team into his office at 11:30 that morning. She continued to stare at him and after several minutes he looked up and caught her gaze. He motioned to the bathroom and she nodded, waiting for him to stand before counting to 100 in her head then following.
"Is it connected to your father?" he asked once she had locked the door. She moved from the door to his willing embrace. Tony held her close, tucking her head under his chin and rubbing her back. Ziva pressed her face into his chest, something she had always done to calm herself down but today it wasn't working.
"I do not know," she told him. "It has only been three days but in Mossad, requests do not pass through normal channels." Tony held her tighter.
"If you leave," Tony started, "I'm going with you," Ziva leaned back in his embrace, looking at him questioningly.
"What about Leroy?" she asked.
"I've talked with Gibbs," he ran a hand through her hair. "He would take Leroy for a few weeks, and I'm sure Abby would help too, but if you leave I'm following," he said and Ziva had to smile.
"Tony," she said softly, lovingly. "If I am called back and you follow, you would be stopped when we reached Tel Aviv."
"Then I'd find some other way to follow you," he said quickly. "I can't let you go," he rested his forehead against hers. Both sighed at the same time, too wrapped up in thoughts to speak.
"I will see about resigning from Mossad," Ziva offered, Tony trailed his fingers along her jaw as she thought aloud. "If my resignation is approved before he can do anything, I do not have to follow orders," she tried to reason. Tony nodded but they both knew the meeting in twenty minutes was not going to be good.
Silently, they left the bathroom and started towards the squad room but Tony followed Ziva to her desk. He glanced at Gibbs, who had called earlier to tell him what Jenny had said but it wasn't good news. She still belonged to Mossad and anything she could do as the Director couldn't make enough of a difference to keep Ziva in the States.
"What's this about?" Gibbs asked as they all filed into the Director's office. Tony noted small changes, additional picture frames on the desk, a few knick-knacks had been rearranged, but the biggest change was the green folder sitting on the desk. They filed around the desk, Tony standing behind Ziva but not daring to touch her. As much as Jenny smiled at their relationship, Vance frowned upon it. He didn't like when they smiled at each other, let alone touched.
"Officer David," Vance said, looking at Ziva directly. "You're going home." He handed her the green folder off the desk and she took it with shaking hands.
"What?" she asked, disbelieving. Tony stepped forward and placed his hands on her shoulders, ignoring the narrowed eyes from Vance.
"Can you do that?" Tony asked. Vance looked at him with raised eyebrows. "You're only the Assistant Director. Can you send her?" he clarified.
"Order's not from me," he said and Ziva opened the folder.
"The order is from my father," she choked out, looking at Tony with fear in her eyes. Tony set his jaw and looked at Vance.
"Can the order be rescinded?" Gibbs asked, laying a hand on Tony's shoulder, trying to keep him from doing something rash.
"Eli wants to talk with you," he aimed the answer at Ziva. "That's all he said." Vance sat down and dismissed the teams; they filed silently out the door. Gibbs dismissed Ziva for the day and Tony told McGee to take over as they left, the folder weighing heavily on both minds as they drove home.
"Would you like some tea?" Tony offered and Ziva nodded quietly. She sat on the couch, one thought going through her mind: Eli didn't want to talk; he wanted her back to punish her for forgetting. She knew whatever punishment he had for her was something she was not meant to live through. The sob she had been able to successfully hold back ripped from her throat and she began crying. Tony quickly wrapped his arms around her and she buried herself into him.
"You're not coming back, are you?" Tony asked quietly and Ziva shook her head. She felt warm wetness on her forehead and looked up to see tears streaming from Tony's eyes. "Is there anything we can do?" he pleaded but she shook her head, a new wave of tears spilling over.
"The only way is for me to live," she said thickly, the sobs making it hard to talk. "I do not know what he has planned but—"
"—he doesn't mean for you to survive," Tony whispered and she nodded. "What if you do?" he asked but she shrugged her shoulders.
"Maybe he will allow me to return, maybe he will find I am more useful in a unit and reassign me." Ziva answered with her eyes closed. "It does not matter, I will give my resignation once I am there," she told him and Tony nodded but knew that it was a last ditch effort to be pulled from whatever Eli had waiting.
"What are we going to tell Leroy?" Tony asked after a few silent minutes. Ziva sighed; she could barely think of leaving her husband, but leaving her child was tearing her in two.
"A half-truth," she murmured. "We tell him I am going back to Israel but we do not tell him why. He does not need to know the true horrors in which we are involved," she felt Tony nod and they were silent again. How could he take her from her family?
Because you said they were more important than your loyalty to your country, a voice reminded her. Ziva closed her eyes as she realized his true reasons for the dinners all these years: to realize when she stopped being loyal to Mossad, her father, and Israel first and put her family above all others. He was waiting to catch her and punish her when she changed.
"Leroy will be home soon," Tony told her softly. The tears had subsided but they continued to hold each other, knowing they had a limited time left. Ziva nodded and stood; it didn't matter what Eli wanted her to do, she was a mother first and to ignore her son would play right into his hands. She would continue caring for her family for the week she had left, defying her father to the end.
Ziva scoffed at the guards as they tried to intimidate her while they escorted her though the airport. Almost 20 hours on a plane had worn her patience thin; her hand curled around her bag to avoid punching one of the men.
"This way Officer David," one man, probably in his late twenties, said as they approached a black, unmarked car. Ziva scoffed as she opened the door.
"Officer DiNozzo," she corrected loudly as she climbed into the back seat. Neither man showed an inclination they heard her, they only entered the front seat and took off towards Mossad headquarters. She looked out the window as the sights of her homeland whizzed by but thought of what Tony or Leroy would say as they passed different buildings. She could hear their laughter as she explained the different street vendors, the different buildings and why palm trees lined the street.
"Officer David," a warm voice broke her thoughts. Ziva turned her head quickly to see Michael Rivkin sitting next to her: her former partner in every way. He had a grin on his face that she wanted to slap off, she knew he was inwardly laughing at the fact she hadn't noticed him when she entered the car.
"Officer DiNozzo," she snapped. If one more person called her 'David' there would be blood. Rivkin smiled politely and cocked his head to the side.
"Anthony, I assume?" he asked, taking her left hand in his and examining her engagement and wedding ring. She quickly ripped her hand from his and curled it into her chest, protecting the only connection she now had to her family.
"His last name is DiNozzo," Ziva retorted, turning her body to face him. He continued to smile and it started to annoy her as much as the two bodyguards had in the airport.
"And your father approved of you marrying a Catholic?" he asked and she smirked.
"Tony is Jewish," she informed him, his eyebrows raised in suspicion. "He converted on his own Michael, not because of me."
"He makes you happy? He treats you well?" he asked. Ziva rolled her eyes and began twirled the bands on her finger unconsciencely as she glared at him while wishing, not for the first or hundredth time, that Tony was there.
"I am sure you were not sent to inquire about my marriage," she said coldly. "What are you doing here?"
"I am here to escort you," he shrugged, leaning his back against the door, his eyes trained on her. "Your father made it a priority you make it to Mossad safely."
"I'm a priority now?" she rolled her eyes, turning her body to the door and resting her forehead against the window. She could feel Michael's gaze as he continued to study her but never gave him the satisfaction of giving into her urge to reach across and smack him across the face. It reminded her too much of a movie Tony had wanted her to watch, an old black and white movie that he claimed was classic but she didn't understand. For the rest of the journey her thoughts turned to Tony and Leroy, how they were still asleep but would be waking in a few hours time.
"Officer David," one of the men up front pulled her from her thoughts as the car slowed to a stop. Ziva growled as she grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder.
"DiNozzo," she shot back. "Din-o-zo, it is not hard to pronounce," she said as the man opened her door. She stepped out in the dry heat and blazing sun, leveling her stare at the man. After years of working with, for, and under Gibbs she had almost perfected the stare that made Marines confess to murder. The man reacted, not enough to make his superior 20 meters away notice, but his reactions were enough to make her smile as she entered the building.
"Ziva," Officer Ben-Gidon greeted as soon as she entered the cool, air-conditioned building. One of the things she did miss about Israel was the heat; it was dry and whipped around her with the smell of sand, heat, and ocean assaulting her. If only she had scotch, she could semi-replicate the smell that always clung to Tony.
"Malachi," she greeted with a smile. While he wasn't the best in every situation, Officer Ben-Gidon was nice and would probably have been a friend under different circumstances.
"Your father is waiting for you," he started walking with her. "He is in a very bad mood," he warned as they boarded the elevator.
"Of course he is," she sighed, running a hand over her hair. She wished the elevators at Mossad operated like the ones at NCIS, where she could pull a switch and hide from the world. Glancing at her watch she did the familiar calculation and smiled as she realized Tony would be waking up to go for a morning run.
"Do you have something to tell me?" Ben-Gidon asked, raising her eyebrow. "Maybe as to the reason the Director has cleared his schedule for the next five hours, including rescheduling a meeting with the Prime Minister?"
"No," she said shortly, the elevator door opening to spare her the time it would take to explain the situation. She walked out and burst through the doors to the secretary's office before throwing her bag on an empty chair and sinking into another chair next to her bag.
"Officer David-DiNozzo?" the secretary asked and Ziva nodded. "You may go on in," the secretary waved her through. Groaning, Ziva stood and pushed through the doors that labeled her father's office.
"Yes, of course." his voice greeted her, but surprisingly he was speaking English. Ziva closed the doors and stood next to the bookcase, watching his conversation. "I will make sure she knows, Leon." Ziva snapped her attention at the mention of Vance's name. He was talking with NCIS!
"Let me talk with him," she demanded, crossing the room and holding her hand out for the phone. Eli looked at her with a quizzical expression, ending his conversation and hanging up while never breaking eye contact. Ziva groaned and leaned over the desk. "What was that about?" she demanded, motioning to the phone with her head.
"Leon wanted to make sure you arrived safely," he said, folding his hands on his desk. Ziva scoffed.
"More likely he wanted to make sure I arrived," she clarified, pushing herself away from his desk to begin pacing around the room. Eli sighed and pulled a folder out from a pile, opening it and handing it to her. Ziva took it and stood in front of him as she realized the folder held her resignation.
"What is this? You want to leave?" he asked.
"Yes, as you've clearly pointed out I am not the same person I was 10 years ago," she answered. "I am not suited for this life anymore." Ziva snapped the folder closed and placed it on his desk.
"You will be released from Mossad when you finish your duty," Eli said, taking the folder and placing it on the corner of his desk. Ziva closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She placed her hands on her hips and opened her eyes to see her father staring back at her with an expectant expression.
"What duty?" she started, speaking slowly to hide the emotion that was boiling under her skin. "To you or to Israel? I have completed my duty is Israel years ago, it is you who thinks I am not done!" she shouted.
"You have not completed your duty," Eli raised his voice, standing with his hands firmly on his desk. Ziva mimicked his stance, leaning over the desk with her hands splayed on the surface.
"What mission have I not accomplished?" she asked. "I have done everything you have asked, what more is there?" Eli stood erect and grabbed a folder from the cabinet behind him.
"There is a mission," he started, leafing through the folder. "We need an expert Metsada officer and you are the most senior officer we have," he handed her the file but Ziva closed it, setting it on his desk, and leveled her gaze at him.
"And if I refuse?" she said.
"You will be reassigned to Tel Aviv until your expertise can be used in another mission," he answered in the same breath. Ziva took a steady breath, debating her options. She pushed herself off the desk and paced around the room for a moment. "If you refuse, I will not process your resignation," he added.
"Fine, one more mission," Ziva sighed, hanging her head. She knew the game and how it was played and while she had played admirably, Eli played it better. He smiled and nodded, handing her the folder again. She took it with a sigh; wanting to cry, wanting to run back to America and never leave Leroy and Tony again.
"When you complete your mission," Eli said, taking his seat again. "You will report back here before being given your leave orders." Ziva slid into one of the chairs in front of Eli as she examined her orders, wishing she had any other mission. Her orders included, but were not limited to, the assassination of a known terrorist and his inner circle which consisted of seven men. Saleem Ulman's camp was last reported near Port Sudan in Sudan, somewhere that had always proven problematic to completing a mission.
"And when I complete this, I am done?" Ziva asked and Eli nodded.
"When you complete it, your duty will to Mossad will be fulfilled," he said. "I will personally make sure your paperwork moves through the system as fast as possible," he added with a solemn timber to his voice.
"And I will be able to go back to America? To my family?" she questioned, making sure she wouldn't be stuck in Israel after her employment to Mossad was terminated. It was ironic that the one place she could never wait to come back to was the one place she had tried to avoid for so long because she had found something better.
"Unless you realize your place is here," Eli said as offhandedly as he could. Ziva scoffed and stood, grabbing the folder as she walked to the door.
"My place is with my family," she announced, "with Tony and Leroy; with Gibbs and Jenny, McGee and Abby. They are my family," she enunciated, making her point perfectly clear. Eli looked up from his hands and sighed.
"So be it," he said. Ziva opened the door and left before he had a chance to say anything else. Out of everything she couldn't control; she could make sure Eli knew where her loyalties lay.
Hope you all enjoyed that. Reviews are appreciated, as always. Have a great day!